Bearing with automatic lubricator



May 16, 1950 c, SCOTT 2,507,579

BEARING WITH AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR Filed Nov. 9, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlI.

INVENTOR CHARLES H. SCOTT,

ATTORNEY May 1950 c. H. SCOTT 2,507,579

BEARING WITH AUTOMATIC ,LUBRICATOR Filed Nov. 9, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.72 66 64 51 e9 6 12 INVENTOR CHARLES H. SCOTT, F l G. 5. BY

ATTORNEY Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES Char 11- S ott W t, .Qe rt,aee gllq t The Dorr Company, Stamford; Gonn'., a'corporation of DelawareApplieation November 9, 1:9451', Seria1 -N9- 1 4Glaims.

.This invention relates .to automatically con- ,trolled forced-feedlubricatorsior the bearings 01" rotary shafts, in which the lubricant orgrease is extruded from a greasecontainer automaticallyat ,.a slow ratecontrolled by mechanism driven by the rotation of the shaft itself. Thegrease is forcibly lfed in desirable minute stepwise quantis tiesthrough speed-reducing mechanism or gearing actuated by the rotationofthe shaft which rotation is translated into slow-motion of ,a greasedisplacing or extruding members operating in the ,grease container.

In the kind of lubricator herein contem lated a screw controlledgrease-displacing piston must be re-set whencitzhas .reachedrtheend-ofits travel 7 in order that the grease container may be refilled.

Such re-setting and refilling usually involves ('iisturbance ofspeed-reducing -mechanism or :gearing disposed externally of the greasecontainer, whichspeed-reducing mechanism engages the screw or spindlewhich controls -the moveing 'lubr-icator with screwactuated greasedisplacing piston in which the piston is-eeasily accessible as well.-.as resettable for refilling ;ofthe g'rease container withoutnecessitating the sgdisturbance -.or adismounting .:,0f :thels'peedfleducin 535 mechanism or'gearing.

These objects are attained :by idisposing gthe -speeddeducing :mechanisinternally of th ggrease container; by providing easily idetaehablecoupling means between a piston-actuating; screw a the .lu i ate l esthread d i t vit e r d u hl .W ee exie i h h ylili ri'e rease ve11.taree s er holding t e re a l jpert enlof the eas 91I te ne i p a wtgthe casing.

' Still other fee illllfi lie in the provision of a toma e a t mean e iner p -m e .drivinsl onneet n be w e t shaf an th .lse e e e lee ereaeleie leeme iete Accordin to .a more specific feature a res l" 1v re i e.aet in elem n o fi e rota es .u ta with the sha t 2. 151 impa th.gsi'lepwise movement to the chanism in acrclaneelw ih re ene 9 ehe jevxep wh n .en Q I J ZLLQAQ i vW4 .ea i V slip past effectively.

Th invent enressee e eihe cebi ei an e ureslo dva ta e-sam 9f whi h. w ht f r e in wil be se iQ fth. nst e rene n e er pt onth iqllew n.deseripfi e and a 1. e iclaimshparts wiil be identified byspecificnarnes e nren eneehmtheyar ie nde i be as generic in their appl .smember and the eed-reducin m ch nism n V-.a ls0'by tencasing and,sealing-ofi the b n 1% zunitary with the lubricator in such a nanne as"wto confi e within the zeneasine st ucture ny bearing-grease escapingfrom-thegbearing sl flflice. Acc r in t (one e t e he r read-redu ines's e. mbed m nte ,anjd. heimze t n 1 1 91? t ob -l mit d th eto- Thonoyo l v eat 11:. reconside ed ehe e eli eti 4 ef lmy nve tien le leegfe th w c rith i ular t .inkthe aim. ne d lelaime- The ,invent en itselhowever,'"both as "to its organization and its m e thod-of operation,together with additional l iee f r n a vantage t ere wil e ttLunderstoodgirom theff oll owing descriptionpf a ,repe ific emb d menwhen reed c nnectio with ,the ccompanying. grawingsmin which Fig. 1 is alongitudinal somewhat diagramtmatic section through a water-treatmenttank e ui e wi h e eedle t t ne mee an em 'rshoiwin environmentally the{use of submerged llubricatomequipped,bearings;

Fig. 2 is.a'lpartse.ctional. plan view. of .a lubrie ton-equipped a ng wt o gh-goin we:

yEig. 12 is ,a l detail sectional Zview partially :broken off Of thelubricator; indicating the final end position ofcthe,greaseedisplacingpiston;

:Figfz is a,,detail views-partially broken off of the lubricator,lwithiparts' drawn apart and the grease-displacing 'pis'ton re-set toinitiaLposition; .-Fig,; 3 is apart-sectional -end view I of {the bearv,ing with lnbricator tal enlonqthe line 3-:3pof

. tannin -a" Fig. 4 is a part-sectional side view of a bearing withlubricator similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3 taken on line 4-4 ofFig. 3 although with non-throughgoing shaft;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the lubricator shown inFig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the lubricator taken on the line 6-6in Fig. 5;

Figs. 7 and 8 are views of a star-wheel for stepwise actuation of thespeed-reducing mechanism;

Fig. 9 shows a substituting star-wheel of smaller tooth pitch;

Fig. 10 is a perspective detail view of a relative disposition of thegear elements of the speedreducing mechanism.

As an example of environment or technical application of an automaticforce-lubricated grease-fed bearing or journal according to thisinvention there is shown in Fig. l the semidiagrammatic longitudinalsectional View of a water-treatment tank equipped with submergedagitating mechanism for the flocculation treatment of the water. Aconcrete tank structure comprises a tank I proper and at one end thereofa pit Ill The tank has a bottom ll, end walls [2 and I3 and side walls14. The pit H1 is defined by the tank end wall l2, by an outer end wallI2 by side walls I4 and by a bottom portion H A horizontal rotary shaftextends from end to end of the tank In and is rotatable in journalbearings, herein briefly termed journals I5, mounted on pedestals IT.The shaft l5 extends through the end wall l2 by way of sealing glands orother suitable sealing means indicated at IT". The shaft thus protrudesoutvwardly from end wall 12 and is driven as through a reduction gearunit I9 mounted on pedestal 2B and driven by a motor (not shown). Theextreme free end of the shaft has a journal 2| supporting thenon-through-going terminal portion of the shaft, while the otherjournals l6 carry through-going portions of the shaft. The shaft I5 isshown to be sectionalized comprising short sections 22 carried by thejournals and alternating with long sections 23 each carrying anagitating or paddle structure 24. The sections are connected with oneanother by flanges centered with respect to each other and boltedtogether as will be seen in detail further below. Each journal isprovided and unitary with an encased lubricator 26 for automaticforcedfeeding of grease to the rotary bearing surfaces of the shaft.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and '4, the lubricator 26 is mounted upon thebearing-block proper and embodied in a journal such as indicated at IS(in Fig. 1) with through-going shaft or in a journal such as indicatedat 2| (in Fig. l) with nonthrough-going shaft.

A journal I6 is mounted upon a base plate 21 anchored upon a pedestal I!(anchoring screws not being shown). The journal comprises abearing-block proper 28 within the casing and adjustably fastened uponthe base plate 2! as by anchoring bolts 29 and horizontally adjustableupon the base plate and transversely of the axis of the shaft l5 bymeans of a pair of adjustment or alignment screws 39. The bearing block28 is split into a lower half or base portion 3| and an upper half 32,both halves being held together as by bolts 33.

shown at 34.

The journal I6 shown in Fig. 2 is shown to carry a through-going shortsection 22 of the A split bushing for the shaft is shaft i5 provided ateach end with a flange 35 4 bolted as at 35 to a companion flange 31constituting the end of an adjoining long section 23 of the shaft.

The journal shown in Fig. 4 differs structurally from that in Fig. 2only because of the fact that it is arranged to carry a shortnon-through-going section or terminal end portion 38 of the shaft I 5,the end portion 38 having a flange 39 by which it is bolted at ifi to acompanion flange 4! constituting the end of an adjoining long section 23of the shaft.

The journal IE is unitary with a jacket 42 surrounding the lubricatingbearing surfaces of the shaft as well as the lubricator 25 associatedtherewith. The jacket comprises a lower half 13 integral with the baseportion or lower half 3| of bearing-block 28 and an upper removable halfor shell 44. The upper half or shell iii of the jacket has a removabledome portion or cap 45 into which extends the upper or free end portionof the lubricator 25, the dome portion being held in place by screwbolts 46. In order to actuate the through-going section of the shaft E5,the jacket til! is provided with a pair of corresponding openingsprovided with annular seals 41 and 4S surrounding the shaft, while asplit jacket as in Fig. 4 accommodates a non-throughgoing section of theshaft and is therefore provided with only one opening and one sealtherefor surrounding the shaft, the opposite side of the jacket beingclosed, the jacket 49 otherwise being similar in constructionandfunction to jacket 42 of the Fig. 2 embodiment.

Description of the lubricator The lubricator 26 proper comprises ahollow base or casting 5! having a bottom flange 52 by which it isfastened upon the horizontal top face 53 of the upper half 32 of bearingblock 28 by means of screw bolts 5s; and a substantially cylindricalhollow portion 54* rising from the flange 52 and horizontally divided bya partial partition 55 providing for a chamber 56 underneath thepartition which chamber communicates with the rotary bearing surfaces ofthe shaft through a vertical bore 5'1 provided in the upper half 32 ofthe bearing-block. The partition 55 has a passage opening 55 (see Figs.5 and 6). Internally upon the upper edge portion of the base 5| there isprovided a circular undercut or groove into which is swaged or expandedthe bottom edge portion 5W of a substantially cylindrical greasecontainer portion 58 over the open top end of which fits a removablecover 59.

A screw member to extends longitudinally within and substantiallyco-axial with the container portion 58, upon which screw member engagesa nut which is in the form of a piston member {5| having peripherallyfastened thereto a sealing cuff 52 whereby the piston member has more orless tight frictional contact with the inner cylindrical face of thecontainer portion 58.

The upper knurled end portion 63 of the screw member is entirely freeand unencumbered and is freely accessible when the cover 59 is removed.The screw member has a reduced unthreaded cylindrical lower end portionhaving a pair of laterally extending symmetrical lugs 64 and 65 adaptedto lodge in a corresponding pair of bayonet undercuts 66 and 61 providedinternally of a socket 68 which is rotatable with the screw member 60'since it is mounted for rotation in the partial partition 55 althoughconfined against 15 axial movement. The socket 68 constitutes thenfiwar-Enyenteneisg nub i which th eorre's ensihg logs e4 an les'r'e'spe'c every-scan be vert'i'c'ally nisfer'ted er removed when itsabl'ishing or "H isrupt g he bayonet connecnon r the"tio ,l i betwee-the shcket es and the serewnrember at. This payee-en estimation e1-eeupnn-g fines eminent pray to anew for *a degree of ufniv H nt motionas Between the "serew-membert'o an, he fwor'm' gear e9. Q I

worm gear to herein t rmed the secondary worm gear mesheswitha worm erawormshaft 2 herein "termed "Worm shaft the en ear whichareibtatablysupported in bracket 13 rastened to t e has for feast g 51"as may eatea byaerew 1t. 'rrre-geronaarywor share 12 carries nice'dthereon "a worm gea'r l5 herein m'd the 'prnnary ear which in turn isofa wormslfaft It herein The "pi iinary worm shaft'i'b'tat -s"t1tiitin'gpart prime s s 51 extends atright "angles "to as well as above thesecondary worm "shaft T2 and has afre'e portion is extending outwardlyfrom the easing 5| and having fixes thereon 'a star-wheel "f9. Theprimary shaft it extends parallel to the-axis-"of the shaft [5 and isshown to be spaced therefrom (see Fig. 3) a distance (1. Upon the shaftfixed a finger 80 by means of screws 8| Thefihger 8:; has a bodyportionall eu rveaappronmately to conform to the radius of theshaft-section 22 an cla terminal portionsli which is ourvedoppositelythere to and extends into the reach of the prongs of the star-wheel is,The finger ;8 0 is of .fiatand resiliently vyieldable material-sothat itmay flex in case of excessive strain and slip past the starwheel I9ineffedtivelyincase itshould accidentally strike the tip of a prong suchas T9 of the tar-wheel 19.

The cover 59 of the container portion 58 is held in place by a verticalset screw 8| threaded into the top center of the dome portion 45 andsecured by a lock-nut 84.

In Fig. 9 is shown an example of an alternate star-wheel 85 which mayreplace the star-wheel 19 when a slower stepwise advance of the feed isdesired. The wheel 85 is shown to have twelve prongs 85 as compared withthe flve prongs 79 and to be of a smaller diameter D; than the diameterD1 of the star-wheel 19. When the smaller star-wheel 85 is used insteadof the larger wheel 19, a correspondingly shaped actuating finger mustalso be used instead of the finger 80, it being important that thedimension m of the finger be properly established in each case.

Operation Each revolution of the shaft 15 or of short sections 22 and 38thereof will cause the finger 80 to engage another one of the fiveprongs I9 of star-wheel 19 and consequently turn the same through aboutone-fifth of one revolution of primary worm shaft 15. This one-fifth isreduced through the total ratio of the primary and the secondary wormdrive and further through the ratio embodied in the screw member 60.

If the shaft [5 is assumed to be rotating at 2 R. P. M., with fiveprongs or points on the starwheel 19, and assuming that both worms aresingle thread and that one worm gear has forty and 1 through t'eeth andthe other on hu ll'di bd eight "teeth, the'n in one week the smart {I 5make:

fO'fe Will advance at thellait' iilt which the'screw member 561sturning. However "(see Fig; 2*) as the piston reaches the lower end'pfits travel it will eventually slip past and clear of the containerportion Wand into a'widened space 65 so that the cuiFBfi "will noiongerl'iave any frictional engagement, "and thus anew the pistonto rotate"freely with tnescrew member '65 without further advancing andwithoutrubbing against the surrounding wens. 'In'thi's way "no damagegrease ie' fill "and resetting or the piston 'sl'fotfl'd have beeneglected.

After the piston-has =-reachfed its lower end of travehif the containerp'ortio'n 58 to be refllled and the piston to here toit's upper endposition on the screw-member =(see Fig. 2 {the dome portion' l5 may bereindvjed, the cover -59 lifted off the container portion 58, and *thescrew member 53 "with piston mem er fi lflift'ed out *by de'taching'thescrew mern er frhm the socket -58. The container portion 58 is t'hen'i'e-fille'd with grease, *and after turning the piston'member up to itsinitial position on the screw meniber, the parts are replaced, whereuponthe operation can be resumed.

The jacket surrounding the bearing-block proper serves to keep surplusgrease escaping from the bearing surfaces from contaminating the waterin the tank. The jacket also serves to receive a quantity of oil to actas replacement fluid in the grease containerportion 58. That is to say,when the piston member lowers, the void above the piston in thecontainer portion 58 must be filled with fluid. Such fluid might becalled the void fluid and can be provided by putting a quantity of oil,say one quart, into the space within the jacket. This oil would float tothe top of the housing because of a quantity of water under it. Thusthis oil would surround the upper part of the container portion 58 andbe drawn into the container portion as the piston member lowers. Oilwould enter the void by reason of the loose flt or looseness of thecover 59 upon the container portion 58.

I claim:

1. An automatic forced-feed lubricator for a rotary shaft bearincomprising a hollow base unitary with said bearing and having within itshollow transversely-extending gear-supporting means and also havingfeed-communicating connection with the bearing surface, a cylindricalcontainer portion rising from said base substantially at right angles tothe shaft axis to serve as a grease reservoir, a piston frictionallyengaging the inner face of the container portion and movable thereinvfor displacing grease through said base and said communicatingconnection, a rotatable screw member within and co-axial with saidcylindrical portion and having threading engagement with said piston toimpart movement thereto byrotation of the screw member, speedreducinggearing mounted within said base which gearing comprises a gearrepresenting the lowspeed end thereof disposed underneath saidsupporting means and having an upwardly extending hollow hub portionrotatable although axially confined in said supporting means, a driveconnection for removably holding the lower end of the screw member insaid hollow hub portion, cam-like means provided upon said shaft, andmotion-transmitting means effective between the high-speed end of saidgearing and said camlike means whereby each revolution of the shaftimparts a start and stop motion to said gearing and to said piston.

2. A lubricator according to claim 1, in which said drive connectioncomprises separable bayonet coupling means.

3. A lubricator according to claim 1, in which said gearing furthercomprises a secondary worm gear representing the low-speed end thereofunderneath said supporting means and having an upwardly extending hubportion rotatable although axially confined in said supporting means, asecondary worm shaft rotatably mounted in said base and extendingtransversely and at right angles with respect to said screw member andhaving driving engagement with said secondary worm gear, a primary wormgear fixed on said secondary worm shaft, a primary worm shaft havingdriving engagement with said primary worm gear and extending above atright angles and transversely with respect to said secondary worm shaftalthough parallel to said rotary shaft, said primary worm shaft having afree end portion extending through and protruding outwardly from andbeing rotatably carried by said base and a star wheel fixed upon saidprotruding shaft portion and engageable by said cam-like means byimparting stepwise movements to the star wheel.

4. A lubricator adapted for delivery of lubricant to a bearing carryinga shaft comprising a hollow base having gear-supporting means, acylindrical container portion rising from said base to serve as a greasereservoir for supplying lubricant to the bearing, a piston frictionallyengaging the inner face of the container portion and movable therein fordisplacing grease through said base to the bearing, a rotatable screwmember within and coaxial with said cylindrical portion and havingthreaded engagement with the piston to impart movement thereto byrotation of the screw member, speed-reducing gearing having a low speedend and a high speed end carried by said base which gearing comprises agear representing the low-speed end thereof disposed underneath saidgear-supporting means and having an upwardly extending hollow hubportion rotatable. although axially confined in said gear-supportingmeans, a readily detachable drive connection for removably securing thelower endof the screw member in said hollow hub portion, and cam meansat the highspeed end of the gearing adapted to be actuated by said shaftfor intermittent actuation of the piston.

CHARLES H. SCOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATEN TS Number Name Date 1,148,431 Beierly July 27, 19151,170,089 Milne Feb. 1, 1916 1,948,747 Dunlop Feb. 27, 1934 2,254,670Turner Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,154 GreatBritain 1895

